Conductive footwear and method of forming the same



lilac. 15,

CONDUCTIVE FOOTWEAR AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Chaytor C. Mason, New York, N. Y., assignor to ODonnell Shoe Company, Humboldt, Tenn., a

corporation of Minnesota No Drawing. Application January 22, 1941, Serial No. 375,534

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method of treating materials to render them electrically conductive.

More specifically, the invention relates to a method of treating materials such as leather, which is utilized in the manufacture of footwear such as shoes, shoe soles, shoe heels, inner soles for shoes, bottom fiiler material for shoes, shoe linings or liners, heel pads or liners and the like to render them electrically conductive. upon the use of conductive footwear as here The invention is also concerned with the spetofore constructed and toward this end the ciiic materials by means of which such materials invention contemplates the provision of a method going into footwear are treated to render them of treating ordinary leather or the like, exclusive conductive as well as to the conductive footwear of rubber, whereby it is rendered conductive for and materials themselves. 5 the purposes set forth above without resorting Footwear which has been treated in accordance to the use of special conducting inserts, conwith the principles of the present invention is densers, galvanic devices or the like. By such a found to be effectively conductive so that static method the entire shoe or other article of footelectrical charges are not readily gathered on the wear is rendered conductive and efficient elechuman body, yet such charges, if gathered, are trical contact will be made between the ground practically instantaneously discharged through and the foot of the user regardless of the parthe shoe or other article of footwear to the sup ticular posture assumed by the user and regard-=- porting surface which constitutes an electrical less of his characteristic walk. ground or discharge body for the condenser This being the principal object of the invenaction of the human body. Thus the invention tion, another object thereof is to provide such a will be found useful in treating footwear demethod of treating leather materials which, apart signed for use by surgeons, nurses and other from rendering the materials conducting, will not attendants in the operating room where the chemically or physically modify the original fumes of ether or other combustible gases or properties of the materials such as their elasticvapors are apt to be present. The invention will ity, softness, porosity, tractive properties, abalso be of use in treating footwear designed for sorbent properties, color and appearance, ability use in certain industrial trades such as in powder to receive and retain a polish, etc. plants and other places where explosives are Another object of-the invention is to provide manufactured, as well as in gunnery turrets or a method of rendering theh leather materials of powder magazines on boardwarships and in other a conducting nature which may be carried out places, where extreme caution is required to preinexpensively in a simple manner and which revent accumulation and accidental discharge or quires no complicated or time-consuming prostatic electrical charges from the human body cedure, consisting as it does, of a few relatively or from the clothing worn thereon. simple treating steps leading to the completed Conductive footwear other than that formed product. of rubber or rubber composition has previously Yet another object of the invention is to probeen rendered conductive by the provision of vide a shoe which, although it is of a conducting metallic plugs or inserts which extend through nature, resembles in appearance the ordinary the sole of the shoe and make simultaneous conshoe and which, for all practical purposes may tact with the body and with the supporting sur= be treated as such. face. Footwear of this character is likewise pos- Another object of the invention is to provide sessed of certain limitations among which are such a method which is lasting, i. e. which may the discomfort to the user and the danger oi be initially performed upon an ordinary shoe marring the supporting surface, the inability of and which will outlast the life of the shoe withsuch inserts to remain firmly anchored in the out requiring further treatment of the shoe after shoe, as well as the objectionable noise ena prolonged period of use. countered when the shoes are in use. The prin- A still further object of the invention is to cipal objection to the use of such metallic inserts provide a novel solution for treating leather resides in the fact that by such means only a which is extremely effective in its conductive eflimited portion or the shoe is rendered conrluc= M test upon the finished product yet which at the tive. Thus electrical contact between the i'oot and the ground is established only when the shoe is supported or maintained squarely'on the sup-= porting surface or at least is supported in such a manner that the particular metallic insert makes simultaneous contact both with the foot and the ground.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above noted limitations that are attendant I; on are to no rendered st 511 jeoted to 11011 they yen '1, they conductive. Materials t nature and eptive to treatment I1 1 ieoo as are employed iieiein aiming the for electrical conductivity. For e essar to first subject these Wetting oroeess Spec (telly 1' er is first l and. eiloa flfiiiQd of 2a ably longer. .E'he tion employed may vary considerably but it been found that certain esters of e1 diba. ic acid such as maleio and/or iumzuie as which is at present sold eommeicie trade-mark name Aerosol is erli for use e Wetting seen when mixed the oroportion of about eig ounceo Aerosol to one gallon. of water, the so being formed. the hot In thus mixing the Wetting solution, any

due which occurs may dissolved in he so tion by the addition oi. about one pint 0); or ethyi alcohol and prolonged heating.

The leather is placer in solution PIELEQ'TJI ile the letter is hot and allowed least thyee erioci, t1

tiiot "h tois 1, me soiut. is covered to prevent escape of volatile or other: constituents. Where heating is resorted to it is sub. preferable that the temperature oi the bath be maintained at about 180 F. for the duremoo. of the treatment.

remov leather agem the materials 1' and m1 ,iiieci etlioos ohere preferable out if cie the drying operation be iac"itated by :zpolicotion of heated six 01 the i ie 12,1 treetme t the which 0 aqueous -SO1L so co 

